Professor Haynes Brings Ink, Instruments to MU
Alaina Lewis
Dr. Pamela Haynes, new assistant professor of music, has several distinctive features, from her red hair and kind smile to her intricate tattoos, including a chest piece fully showcasing colorful butterflies, a watercolor side piece and a full leg of black-and-grey portrait work. She brings both her personal experience with tattoos and the historical and cultural context of the art of tattooing to her current FYS class Body Art.
Not only does Haynes sport tattoos, but her husband owns Filament Tattoo Company in Wabash, Ind., where they live with their six children (one is away at college) and their pets. Haynes also has some history with Manchester’s campus, having stayed in Oakwood during a summer camp called Mind Power for gifted and talented students.
Haynes grew up in Denver, Ind., not far from Manchester, and had a grandmother who graduated from then Manchester College and played a large part in her musical career. “She had a piano in her home, a baby grand, and I just loved playing on it,” Haynes said. “I would just go fiddle on it, so she said to my mother, ‘You need to get her lessons so we can hear some real music.’” Haynes has been playing ever since.
After high school, she attended DePauw University, where she earned her BA in music education and accompanied DePauw’s symphony orchestra. She then attended The Ohio State University, where she earned a MA in piano performance and pedagogy before going on to The University of Kansas to complete a DMA (a doctorate) in piano, pedagogy and literature.
Although this fall marks Haynes's first year as a full time faculty member at Manchester, she had previously done some accompaniment work with the music department. “This has been my lifelong dream to be a part of higher education community,” Haynes said.
In addition to her FYS course, she is also teaching Introduction to Music and gives private piano lessons to students.